A South Korean judge rejected Johnny Somali’s appeal, and now he will spend time in prison. It resulted from an incident with a streamer that took place in 2024 when he made a dance in front of a monument to the victims of wartime sexual slavery.
The court did not increase or decrease the sentence on appeal. Three judges examined the sentence. Thus, as of June 25, Johnny will remain in jail until the end of his sentence, with no information about his release or deportation to his native country.
The incident took place at the Statue of Peace, where Johnny made a video showing himself kissing and dancing in front of the statue, which caused public anger and his arrest.
A South Korean court charged Johnny Somali with the distribution of sexual deepfake content and disturbance in a public place. Prosecutors demanded the 36-month prison term. Instead, the court sentenced him to six months’ imprisonment, 20 days’ detention, and a fine of 150,000 won. Moreover, he will not be able to leave the country.
Before his arrest, Johnny Somali visited South Korea. He apologized to the victims of the statute for his behavior, said he did not understand what it was about, and stated that his intention was only to entertain the viewers. Also, he said he had already apologized for the same case two years ago, when he explained that he did not know how important that statue was.
Moreover, his lawyers apologized for disrespecting the victims in the court and guaranteed such an incident will never repeat, promising the court to show mercy since he has bipolar disorder and stopped taking medications after visiting that country, Chosun writes.
Also, prosecutors suggested keeping the sentence and rejecting the appeal since he committed several crimes for money and did not compensate the victims.
Johnny Somali is well known for controversial actions that have given him a bad reputation in South Korea. The BBC reports that he caused a disturbance during his trip to Israel and Japan.
There is no update about his potential release or deportation to his native country yet.
